Actor Alan Rickman, who captivated audiences in his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films and as the Teutonic villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard, has died. He was 69, and the cause was cancer, his family told The Guardian and The Associated Press, and the BBC.
His publicist confirmed Rickman’s death to NBC News.
“The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69,” said a family statement, cited by the BBC. “He was surrounded by family and friends.”